Team:UC Davis/Team

Akshay Sethi: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Hey guys, my name is Akshay Sethi and I am a sophomore majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. This is my first year participating in iGEM and I have since taken a great interest into synthetic biology and its importance in the near future. I aspire to attend medical school, and to furthermore pursue a career in medicine or health care management. When I am not working in lab, I enjoy volunteering at a student-run clinic for the underserved and also staying active through tennis and basketball.

Christine Olson: Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior

RAHH (You have to imagine this in a pterodactyl voice, if you have ever heard one before)! My name’s Christine Olson. I am a fourth year neurobiology, physiology, and behavior major. Basically, that means that I am able to find something amazingly funny about anything you say or do. Actually, about anything that happens! I think the best thing in the world is a neuron. I mean, they look like trees! On my free time, I love biking out to huge fields of sunflowers and taking pictures. I also adore the farmers’ market here in Davis. After college, I plan on working in the biotechnology industry and then returning to a graduate school. Fun fact: I am an underground rapper. Real talk.

Colin Deniston: Biological Sciences: Molecular & Cell Biology

I’m a fifth year Biological Sciences major at UC Davis. I joined iGEM due to my interest in learning how to manage a realistically scaled research project, as well as, to increase my knowledge of in lab protocol and technique. On the iGEM team I work on the protein engineering and mutant creation/screening protocols. I hope to continue on to graduate school and eventually become a professor. On my free time I’m an avid video game enthusiast of all game types. I also enjoy reading books, manga, and spending time with friends.

Deborah Park: Biological Sciences

I'm a fourth year and I love brains! I love all things related to science, but neurobiology is something I would love to study more after graduation! I like to draw, play the violin, stargaze, and listen to some music! I love animals, so I like to help out at a ranch to take care of horses and dogs! I also like exclamation points!!!

Mattan Hamou: Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior

I am an undergraduate student at the University of California, Davis. As an undeclared Life Science major at UC Davis I am currently exploring all the opportunities available to me in the college of biological sciences. I am currently debating between cell biology and neurobiology, physiology and behavior. Through my Emergency Medical Technician training, I obtained a stronger sense of what life in the emergency medical world entails. After learning on a deeper level the value of genetic engineering this past year I wanted to shift to the laboratory spectrum of the medical field. My intention in joining iGEM was to research possible solutions to medical problems which would allow me to combine both of my aspirations of research in a practical medical field. My main interests in research are in cell functions and how they interact with one another, particularly in immunology and oncology, biomedical devices, and bioremediation. As treasurer of The Triple Helix, Outreach Assembly member, Garamendi for Congress volunteer, and brother of AEPi I am an active member of the UC Davis student body. In my spare time I play the saxophone, video games, sports, and watch a lot of movies. My favorite superhero is Batman :).

Nick Csicsery: Biological Systems Engineering

Hi, I'm Nick Csicsery, a senior studying biological systems engineering at UC Davis. This is my second year doing iGEM and I'm very excited to complete another project! I'm interested in all things engineering and in learning more about synthetic biology. When I'm not in lab or studying for classes, I'm usually busy organizing events as the president of the Biomedical Engineering Society at Davis. Otherwise, I like spending my time playing guitar or running long distances.

Pui Yan Ho: Biotechnology: Microbiology & Fermentation

Hello everyone, I’m Pui Yan! My ambition is to pursue a career in the biomedical field after completing my undergraduate studies. In the future, I plan to continue onto graduate school and become a college professor. In my spare time, I like to play piano and discover new restaurants to try. I would say that I’m a big fan of dessert and tapioca drinks, so I eat something sweet everyday all day!

Sahar Hojjat: Biological Sciences: Molecular & Cell Biology

Hi!!! My name is Sahar and I am a senior at UC Davis. My major is Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Molecular and Cell Biology. I am pursuing to be a doctor but I also am really interested in the field of synthetic biology and so also want to pursue more research in the field. Some of my personal interests are dancing, yoga and meditation. An odd but interesting fact about me (that my team discovered actually) is that in all ways possible my name can be heard as laughter. “Saharhar,” “Rahahas,” (which is Sahar backwards) and even my middle name Rose, has been turned into “Rohohose.” OH! And a new, recent discovery, so my last name is Hojjat, is that the “ja” at the end is “ha” in Spanish; so now it’s “Hohojaja.”

Sergio Waqued: Biomedical Engineering

Hello and good day, I'm Sergio Castro Waqued fourth year Biomedical Engineering student. I'm the team's renaissance man and resident troubleshooter. I enjoy transmuting ideas into a physical form and finagling with electronics.

Spencer Wong: Genetics & Economics

Hello! I’m Spencer, a junior studying both Economics and Genetics. I love baking and chocolate cakes are my favorite. Food is amazing to me, and I think I should have been a Food Science major sometimes. I love learning about genetic manipulations, such as making things glow in the dark! I play volleyball, listen to Shwayze, and watch Teen Wolf. I’m a bobaholic, true story. I get tapioca (boba) at least once a week. After graduation, I hope to work at a biotechnology firm and then attend graduate school.

Dr. Marc Facciotti

• Position: Faculty Advisor
• Ph.D. in Biophysics
• Department: Biomedical Engineering and UC Davis Genome Center
• Facciotti Lab Wesbite

Dr. Ilias Tagkopoulos

• Position: Faculty Advisor
• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering
• Department: Computer Science and UC Davis Genome Center
• Tagkopoulos Lab Website

Andrew Yao

• Position: Wetlab Advisor


• B.S. in Biomedical Engineering


• Department: Biomedical Engineering

Linh Huynh

• Position: Graduate Student Advisor


• B.S. in Computer Science


• Department: Computer Science